


Descendants - The Second Go Around

by nyahchatnoir



Category: Descendants (2015), Disney - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Disney, Disney, Disney Movies, Drama, F/F, F/M, High School, Humor, Multi, Romance, Sequel, Unofficial Sequel
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-08-05
Updated: 2015-08-09
Packaged: 2018-04-13 04:58:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 17,355
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4508688
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nyahchatnoir/pseuds/nyahchatnoir
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>UP FOR ADOPTION IF ANYONE WANTS IT!!! A sequel to Descendants. Join our four ex-villains, as they try to convert an all new batch of baddies into goodies. They must dodge wacky magic, love spells, angry goddesses, and many more trials. It will be tough, but someone has to do it. Can they succeed? Mel thinks they can, but the villains might just kill her first. New villains and new heroes! Contains Ben/Mal, Evie/Doug, OC/Carlos, and many more. Can also be found on Fanfiction.net.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The Exchange

"I think we should bring in more villains."

Out of all of the crazy things that Prince Ben's parents had heard him say in their lifetime, this was definitely the newest example, and definitely the most unwelcome. Both reacted in a negative way, although his father visibly became livid at the thought of bringing in more hoodlums. His face grew red, and he threw his hand onto the desk in front of him. A taught feeling entered his shoulders.

"Are you insane?" came his father's immediate reply, and he stared heatedly up at his only son, "Are you even listening to yourself, Ben? Why would we _do that_ when we had _so_ much trouble last time-?"

"Adam," Ben's mother sternly whispered, as she gave her husband a pointed look. Her gaze then moved towards Mal, and she stared kindly at the girl who stood silently behind Ben in support of her boyfriend, "There are others present. Control your temper."

Ben took that as a que to continue. Breathing in, the man put on his utmost earnest expression. He gazed pleadingly at his father.

"I know how you feel about the subject, but if you would just _please_ hear me out dad, then I will never ask you about this again. We _know_ how the four villains started out. They were cold and distant. Some of them were even vain and stole from others. But then they changed for the better. Which is why I beg of you, _please_ let us help the other villains. I know that it is possible, and I am one hundred percent positive that we can help them. They need guidance. There are so many out on the Isle of the Lost that have the heart to do good. You know it; I know it. They just do not live in the right circumstances to fully _understand_ how to be good, but I think that we can teach them. Not to mention that we have four fully capable ex-villains, who are more than willing to lend their services to our rehabilitation program. Surely with their assistance, we can-"

At their mention, King Beast could feel his form shaking, and he immediately silenced his child with a firm hand. He expertly shot down his son's absurd request, "No, and my decision is final. Sure son, we managed to rehabilitate the last four, but what about the _next_ ones? What about them? I am sorry, but villains are just _too_ much of a wild card to even fool with nowadays. They do not care, and they can be ruthless. I am sorry, but it is too dangerous to try again, Ben. We do _not_ need the force-field breaking down a second time."

"But that was not even their fault!" Ben cried desperately, "It was the Fairy Godmother's kid who cracked the spell on the island, not Mal or the others! They four of them weren't even after the wand at that point. All of them had decided to become _good_! Honestly, how in the heck were they supposed to know that their Mama Lizard would come in and shoot up the place with her powers?"

Ben felt his heart pounding within his chest, as King Beast crossed his arms and grunted authoritively, "This is not a discussion anymore, Ben. This is a decision, and I say no. Either way, no matter how good these kids are, there will _never_ be any more villains in this school. Once was enough, but never again. Now get out."

Ben tried, "Yeah, but dad-"

"I said get out!" his dad roared, banging his fist hard onto his desk. He paused visibly when his wife placed a harsh hand over his shoulder and squeezed on it tightly.

"Adam!" she scolded, as Ben gave his father a shameful look. The pair watched dubiously, as their upset son turned to stomp angrily out of the King's office. He huffed angrily.

Ben forced down the urge to sob. His heart broke at the thought of all of those poor souls still being stranded on the island; so young and born into such an unfortunate life. He could only hope that his parents felt proud of themselves for their blinded opinions.

As their son stepped outside the door, Mal mentally jumped, but turned to walk mutedly towards the door. However, she stopped in the doorway and placed a hand on the wall beside herself, before turning to gaze sadly back at the King and Queen. Her eyes crinkled with unshed tears, as they eyed her with a stunned scrutiny. She muttered melancholically through the long violet bangs, which hung prettily across her face.

"For what it's worth," her form mildly shook as she spoke, "I think your son has a great idea."

Letting go of the wall that she had been using as a line of support, Mal abandoned the two royals in their joint silence. She instantly ran into Ben's side and put her arms around him, holding her face weakly into the crook of his elbow, as the pair walked down the suddenly _very_ offending hallway. She could not look at it. The girl wept quietly, as she found a slight comfort in his warmth. The subject of the whole exchange had hurt her far more than his parents could ever realize.

With each step, Ben whispered softly into her ear and tightened his hold, fighting off the weight of his own tears. Crying was certainly not a princely thing to do, the man reasoned, although it was his pride that made him unwilling to shed his feelings. The man reached up to gently place a few strands behind her ear and caressed her head tenderly against his chest. He sighed dejectedly into his girlfriend's embrace. Apparently their mission would be much harder than the two lovers had originally thought.

Unknown to them, the two royals had been especially affected by Mal's emotional statement. They had witnessed the trembling in her shoulders and seen the utter disgrace in her eyes. How her emerald orbs had pierced their hearts; it shook them to the core and made King Beast swallow. The older monarch suddenly felt incredibly guilty for his incredibly selfish ruling. Everyone deserved a chance. _These kids_ deserved a chance.

Queen Belle rubbed a gentle circle into her husband's shoulder, but paused to stare worriedly down at the floor beneath her. She was startled when her King placed a large hand over her own. He softly squeezed it.

"Perhaps," he eventually mumbled gruffly, "Perhaps I was too hard on them."

Belle stood there in an agreeable silence.

Her husband slowly continued, "Maybe I am wrong, or maybe I am right… The verdict is that if we never try, then we will never know."

After a lengthy moment of silence, Beast looked over his shoulder to give his wife a conflicted stare. His dark eyes turned troubled. The man finally admitted, "I am not sure if it is for the best, but… I think I know what I want to do now, Belle."

His wife felt the very corners of her mouth lift up into a tiny, proud smile. Still, she held back her sudden enthusiasm, and opted to slyly ask him, "Oh, really now? You? Being decisive?"

Belle's husband cracked a thin grin, but it quickly turned into a grim line. His eyes rapidly became nervous.

"I know," he chuckled humorlessly, "Now then. Please call up the high school on the island, and have a new plan arranged for the arrival of more transfer students to Auradon."

He suddenly paused in thought, "Oh, and make Fairy Godmother aware of these changes."

The Queen beamed and bent down to place a loving kiss on her husband's cheek. She placed her head of short brown hair gently atop his own and rested her front against his back. A content sigh escaped her.

"Now that's my beautiful beast."


	2. The Invitation

"I don't understand why I have to go, Mother."

The Queen of Hearts shushed her baby boy and waddled over to him with her large black and red, heart spotted dress bellowing out on either side of her. She placed a fat hand tenderly on his face, before she inelegantly threw her meaty arms around his thin frame. The woman squeezed tightly, smiling at her son's slight noise of discomfort.

He spoke tiredly within her arms, "This is stupid. My life is here on the Isle with you and father. Not _there_ with those snooty rich people."

The sudden bite in his voice had his mother smirking with pride, and she patted him happily on his back, before she finally pulled away. The woman lifted his chin with a gentle finger, looking deeply into his dark eyes. He stared forlornly back.

"Exactly, but the King demands your presence," she cheerfully perked, "Just think of this as a learning experience."

The Queen forcefully wiggled her son's chin and grinned in a mothering fashion. Fully used to her painful affections, the teen allowed her to move his face airily in a jerky, side-to-side motion. He let out a mental sigh at his mother's senseless sameness.

The obese woman softly romanticized, "Think of this as a way to finally see what it is like to live favorably and free," until a vile edge entered her voice, and her face started to turn a boiling shade of red, "Just think of it as a way to _exact revenge on all of those who have wronged us. Like that stupid Hatter and his doting Alice-_ "

"Whoa, whoa mother! Easy there," her son swiftly soothed, "You know what the Doc said about your blood pressure."

His mother took in a bunch of steadying breaths, but hatefully rolled her eyes, testily replying, "God Ace, he's a witchdoctor, not a physician. That man couldn't even get a woman to marry a frog, let alone save a life."

Her son, Ace of Hearts, merely screwed up his face and muttered, "But didn't Tiana marry-", before he was interrupted by his overly doting mother.

"Dear me, I am so sorry. I lashed out again, didn't I?" she asked, "Oh, your father has been sending me to anger management classes, lately. Hopefully I can get better… I just let my anger get the best of me for a moment."

Ace shrugged her shoulders, looking through the short black bangs that hung over his eyes. He fumbled awkwardly with the sleeve of his spiked, leather jacket for a moment, before placing his hands within the comfort of his jacket pockets. The teen stood there moderately bored, until his mother finally cleared out her throat.

"Anyway, you start at Auradon tomorrow," she commanded, "Now, go pack your bags."

"But Mother-," he started.

"Now!" the dark haired teen heard her roar.

So that is what he did.

* * *

"Dad?"

A girl with long flowing tresses stomped angrily down the shaking planks of an abandoned dock within the middle of the Island. She stopped at the edge of a small plot of water and cocked an angry hip, staring heatedly down at the small tug boat that bounced contentedly in one place, stuck with nowhere else to go. There came the unimportant sound of shuffling from inside the infuriating mode of transportation, and the teen felt a wave of pure hate rush through her whole body. Yelling a loud curse, she stomped her boot sharply onto the ground. A bang sounded throughout the tiny cabin.

The teen rolled her eyes exaggeratedly, as a bumbling Captain James Hook came fumbling his way through the cabin's entryway out onto the miniscule poop-deck. She glared dangerously down at her father.

"Yo dad!" she shouted. When his black eyes glanced up, she rushed to pull out a crumbled up slip of paper from her tight black jeans, "Just what the hell does this prissy bull-crap mean?"

Her father brightened and laughed. He shook his left hook eagerly in her direction, "Ah, you found it! Isn't this so wonderful? I heard that it is truly a sight to behold, Auradon High. Big flags and lots of plants; the whole shebang. Just what my little girl deserves. Aren't you excited to be able to see it?"

"More like, appalled that you would _ever_ agree that I would go!"

Captain Hook blinked confusedly when his daughter practically screamed at him from her spot on the dock, and he moved his up hook to lazily scratch at his ear. The washed up codfish picked at the inside of his earlobe and asked, "Well, would it help if I said that I honestly had _no_ choice in the matter? The royal family _isn't_ just persuasive, after all. They have an entire boat's worth of guards and a land-full of magic at their disposal, neither of which I have anymore."

She paused, suddenly impressed. So even the goody two shoes had a bad side, huh?

Her father continued, "No crew. No Mr. Smee. No pixie dust… Man, this is depressing."

His daughter shook her head and stomped her boot again to grab his attention.

"Enough moping," the spunky teen ordered, "Just explaining. Now, how long am I going to have to sit through all of these… yuck, _goodness_ lessons? Gross. Utterly gross. Ugh, Dad, I am a _pirate_ with a pirate's blood coursing through my blood for peter's sake, not some nice, prissy little girly landlubber. I can't be a princess. I am practically a guy. _I would look ridiculous in a dress!_ "

Her father chuckled, "I'm sure they won't make you wear a dress."

"That's not my point!" the teen suddenly very tearfully screamed, "I don't want to go!"

As she began to shake with a few light sobs, Hook quickly hopped up onto the dock from his miniature vessel and drew her into his thin arms.

"Shh, shh," he shushed her gently, "You'll be alright… Who is my little Jenny?"

The usually tough and commanding woman sniffled and allowed herself to be hugged by her father. It was not a daily occurrence for her to let him see her cry, but she decided that perhaps she would permit her father to witness her small meltdown. After all, it was going to be a rough few months leaving her only loved one behind, marooned on a corrupted island… Who knew when she would get hugged like this again.

Still, the teen was lucky enough to have a father who actually cared about her. It was upsetting, but most children on the Isle of the Lost did not even have parents, let alone a parent who was uncaring.

Jenny let out an exhausted sigh, bringing her arms in tight around her father. Weeping outwardly, she sang under her breath, "Yo ho, yo ho. A pirate's life for me."

* * *

A dark-skinned man ran around his dimly lit bedroom, attempting to grab his new pack of tarot cards. Unfortunately, the shadows surrounding him liked the prospect of being both longer and faster than the young, voodoo Doctor in training. They tossed the pack across the room, laughing mutedly and making a big show with each large chuckle. On this side of the kingdom, magic did not work for the teen. Contrariwise, much to the teen's own chagrin, the limitations seemed to work just fine for the spirits from the other side. He grumbled unintelligibly beneath his breath.

Suddenly, there came a heavy banging on his door.

The yelping screams of his father made the boy run over to quickly open the door. He stared with raised eyebrows, as his father, Doctor Facilier, scrambled crazily into his son's room, fumbling over everything like a scared dog. He regarded his father as the lanky swindler climbed up onto the broken springs of his son's bed and leaned his entire body against the wall. This was as high as the man could get without his help from the other side, and after their last partnership, the beings had completely cut off all ties to the foolish peddler. Yet that did not stop them from continually tantalizing him by doing everything for his very flesh and blood. The spirits were at the beck and call of his only child, Amedee Facilier.

The witchdoctor panicked, "C-Close the door Amedee! You've gotta protect me. Order your friends to protect me!"

The teen in question unsurely looked at the shadows which made negative gestures at the wild-eyed Doctor, and their shoulders rolled along with their silent laughter. He grinned uneasily and apologetically glanced up at his father, "I'm not sure they wanna do that, Dad. I think they like seeing you panic."

"In a minute they'll be seeing me be dead!" the elder Doctor cried.

Amedee rolled his eyes and cracked his neck, fully closing the door behind him. Mildly glaring, he questioned idly, "Okay Dad, just who in the heck did you piss off this time?"

Facilier growled beneath his breath but complained, "That stupid Horace. That _stupid_ , tubby hobo. I promised that he would get thinner if he would just give me a shilling, but of course it was only a fake spell that worked for about ten minutes-"

"Don't tell me," he son harshly winced.

Facilier nodded gravely, "The potion had a mistake. It actually made him fatter!"

The cry that left his father's lips had Amedee exasperatingly placing a hand over his eyes. He moved the dark appendage exhaustedly down his face and glared intensely at his father.

"Dad, I done _told_ you to just simply leave the knock-off spells to the witches! You have no real power here! When will you ever learn, huh? What will you do for protection once I'm gone?"

A harsh knocking erupted on the door a couple of feet away from Amedee's room, and the teen's anger returned tenfold on his father. He could not believe this.

"You led the minion here?" he whispered his strangled cry.

Horace came to stand outside his bedroom door. The fat man pounded on the closed door rapidly, and his crooked accent jibbed, "Bloody 'ell, Facilier. Go on, open up tha door! I know ya in there, ya rat!"

Facilier physically shook from his spot against the wall, and his knees repeatedly knocked together. A few fearful tears entered the usually sophisticated man's eyes, and he deeply apologized to his son. The apology never reached his eyes, though.

"Look, I know it was a mistake. But hey, I'll repent for it. Now _please_ protect me!" his strangled cry made his son sigh, as he gave the shadows a firm glance around him. They each stilled and sent him a dirty glance, but followed his movements when the teen went to open his bedroom door. He leaned charismatically against the door-frame.

"Ah, Horace," Amedee easily crooned, "Done come on over for a visit, have you?"

The short but stout man grumbled, "Yew know exactly why I'm 'ere, young Facilier. Now wher' is that bloke o' a father o' yours?"

He grinned and moved to let Horace see his father on the bed. The large man's eyes narrowed.

"Oh, you mean this one?" Amedee asked slyly.

Horace pushed up the sleeves of his torn overcoat and revealed a pair of meaty arms. He quickly took a threatening step towards the disheveled conman saying, "Why I oughta-"

"Uh-uh! Can't let you do that," Facilier's son quipped, "Gotta look out for the family."

He raised his hands, and the shadows shot forward, expertly sweeping the obese man off of his feet.

"I hope you understand," the teen smiled flatly.

The two watched, as the shadows carried Horace outside of the house, to which they drug him halfway across town, and left him in an alleyway with a few painful slugs to the gut.

Amedee sighed. He hated the idea of his father ending up dead somewhere once he concocted a faulty potion, but it was slightly inevitable for the man. He would not stop trying to relive the glory days where he could easily ask his friends from the other side to perform voodoo for him. He was an absolute joke. He was also a liar, and the villains did not take too kindly to being lied to. Sure, they loved evil deeds. But you did not lie on the Isle of the Lost.

The teen gave his father a weary glance. His shoulders fell in mild dejection, before he furiously managed, "W-Why you gotta go and do these kinds of things just before I leave, huh? You done got yourself into trouble, and I ain't even gone yet. What's next? A grave with your face on it?"

"Already happened," Facilier easily quipped, as he moved to clamber off Amedee's bed, "And I know, but it was just one last quickie before you go off to that preppy high school of yours. I know that you're excited to go, but what are you even gonna do there?"

His son thought for a long moment, until he finally sent his father a conspiring gleam. His brown lips turned upward into an overly confident grin, and the teen fingered confidently at the deck of tarot cards that sat in the pocket of his flowy clothing. He sauntered forward, and his eyes turned dark with power.

"I'm gonna have fun," Amedee eagerly mused, "Ain't that right, guys?"

Now finished with their job, the teen's shadows quickly zoomed into the room and dutifully stopped by his side. They grinned largely. One of the mischievous shadows reached over and quickly slapped the much younger Facilier's waiting hand with a slinking movement, to which the teen only nodded his head and smirked cockily into his father's gaze. He stared directly into his father's eyes, until the teen airily finished with a mocking tune, "Cause I got friends on the other side."

* * *

A cold chill settled within the halls of a moderately sized cathedral, and a tall Judge Claude Frollo stood taut above the form of his dull-faced daughter. He glared scathingly down at her, as she stared mutedly back at him. In her eyes, locked far away within the depths of her dark grey orbs, there was a gleam of sadness which was carefully mixed with a dash of righteousness and divine duty to her Lord. A shot of longing entered the mix. She still missed her mother, although she would never miss the man standing in front of her. He was cruel, and he was ugly in heart, but the teen fully believed in what he preached. She had to, if only to keep herself sane throughout the constant painful taunts and horrible jibs at her personality. Someone so kind, yet sinful. Her father considered her like he would the gum which was stomped out of the streets of the Isle: like useless trash and utter scum.

But this would not stop her search for divinity. This would _never_ stop her.

Sherah Frollo believed in the word of the Lord. She believed in the kindness of God, and she sought validity through the veil of her rough situation. He gave her the strength to carry on, even when it could be so easy to just jump off a building; to just tie a noose around her neck. He made her believe in the possibility of love and happiness… If only her earthly father could practice what he preached.

The elder Frollo straightened his back and fingered at the worn bible within his hands. He moved it carefully to rest down by his side, and his blackened robe shifted softly in the yellow of God's light casting through the glass windows. He gravely asked, "Have you packed your things?"

Sherah dutifully nodded, although she failed to meet her father's gaze. The girl absolutely refused to.

"I have," she gradually replied with an enduring air, "My bible is packed, and everything is ready to go. I am prepared to do whatever it takes to make you proud, father."

Judge Claude Frollo nodded silently, and his daughter continued on.

"I will free these people to where they can finally see the gravity of their sins. I will have them see the error of their ways. They will soon repent and ask for God's forgiveness, as his might is the only just concept in the world."

"Too true," her father stoically agreed, "The world is an ugly and sinful place. It needs more people like me, people who can lead the lamb to salvation. The wicked ways shall either be swiped clean or later smited righteously at the hand of his holy grace. There is no in-between."

His daughter felt like sighing at his selfish nature, but she knowingly held her tongue. The woman knew that saying anything remotely cynical could result in a terrible, stinging beating against her skin, so she opted to stay eerily quiet. All she did was give a small breathy mumble beneath her lips.

"Yes, father."

With that said, she turned away from her only parent with tears edging in the very corners of her grey eyes and began to progressively walk away. This was all that she could do whenever she had to be in his presence for what seemed like far too long; walk away and keep her head down. He would laugh in her face if he saw her cry, and then he would tell her to get down onto her knees and weep profusely at the feet of the Lord.

"I hate him," Sherah muttered sinfully, as she closed the cathedral door behind her, "I hate him, hate him!"

The teen reached up to tenderly wipe away at the salty tears, which were quickly forming in her eyes and sticking to her long lashes. Her other hand reached down into her pocket to grasp onto a thin locket which contained the beautifully greyed photo of her mother. It had darkened with age and normal wear.

Sherah sorrowfully pulled out the golden chain and resolutely hung the precious object around her neck. She breathed in. A miserable sigh escaped her. Even if the teen was not allowed to wear the offending object while she was in her father's presence, she would be damned to Hell if she could not wear it whenever she was alone… Thank goodness she was usually alone.

The poor girl swallowed distastefully at the hard lump which was forming at the bottom of her throat, before she allowed a solitary teardrop to cascade along the side of her cheek. Her gaze turned regrettable, as her heart panged from the caverns of her chest. She rested a gentle hand over her breast and lipped a tiny prayer to her God. As far as she was concerned, the teen was certainly going to need his grace.

* * *

A cheerful yell broke out across a hot, black abyss.

"Ah Demetriades, baby! Guess what came in the mail today?"

The receiver of the call looked up and grunted in minor aversion. She rolled her eyes skyward and asked for Zeus to help give her strength, before glaring over at her father from her place on the couch, which she had just conjured by using whatever trivial magic was now left of her powers. A light pink hand waved in mild greeting.

"Oh, I don't know," Demetriades sarcastically wondered, "Zeus finally gave you a promotion?"

Her father Hades laughed pointedly at that, but then deadpanned.

"No. No, he did not. But that is not the most terrible news, this is even _more_ terrible news!"

Demetriades rolled her eyes again, but decided to humor her father's dramatics. She really did miss her mother Persephone, but she was currently away for half of the year, as per her parents' original agreement with Zeus… And even thinking about the whole endeavor was an entirely new can of worms that she did _not_ feel like opening. The teen shuddered slightly at the thought. She gave her father a blank stare.

"What could be more terrible than having to spend an eternity in this shitty place?" she asked Hades sardonically. He sent his daughter a narrowed glare.

"I get it. You miss living on the surface with your mother, but since you have the powers of a goddess and the blood of a villain running through your veins, it just isn't possible to let you leave. Sure it gets dreary as hell, no pun intended, but that traffic has been getting _much_ heavier in the past twenty-odd years, what with smoking and obesity clogging up everyone's lungs and arteries. But hey, business is booming! Bodda boom, bodda bing. It's hard, but it's work."

"Slave work," Demetriades muttered, and then sighed indulgently, "Fine, fine. It just sucks that you get the crap job, while all of the other Gods get to party like stars upstairs… So, what news is there? You got a new scheme to get a celebrity's soul? Because, ya know, I was thinking James Woods. I just hate how he gave you such a grating quality to your voice."

Hades moved his hand in a shushing gesture and closed his fingers abruptly. He let out an annoyed breath, "It is not _grating_ , you ungrateful goddess. It is mildly aggravating at best. Anyway, I happen to _love_ my voice, but that is not the point right now. You have been summoned, sweet cheeks. My little mirror image of Persephone."

Demetriades raised a beautiful blond brow, but gave Hades her full attention.

"What do you mean summoned?" her eyes squarely narrowed in probing concentration. She paused for a long moment and said, "I never get summoned anywhere, except for all of those lame baby showers for the new Gods... What are you getting at, bluebell? Tell me."

The goddess's father grinned, but attempted to hold down the blunt of his amusement. He failed miserably, and the beautiful teen let out a loud growl when he began to laugh outright in her face.

"Dammit Dad! Explain yourself or so help me Zeus, I will-"

Hades guffawed, "S-Some kind of s-stupid _human_ school."

Demetriades blinked, and her face contorted into a screwed up expression. She blanched, as her father grinned stupidly from his spot above her. He spoke enthusiastically with his blue hands.

"I know, right? _Humans!_ Oh my Gods, they are so hilarious! They think that they can just randomly send us a ghost messenger, and they can make you go?"

"I'm not," his daughter sharply barked in reply, "And there is no way _anyone_ can force me into going."

Hades smirked, "Unless they're me, of course."

Demetriades stared humorlessly from her seat on the couch. She instantly paled at the implications of her father's statement.

"What?" came her suddenly shocked voice.

"You heard me, baby cakes," he mockingly confirmed, "You are going to Auradon High. Now pick up your pretty little butt and go pack whatever stuff you literally don't have on you. I mean, you're the daughter of a freaking God. Just get out of my presence and conjure up some stupid clothes once you finally get there. I don't care."

"But you honestly can't be serious about this, right?" she heard herself ask worriedly, "I mean, I have never really been to the surface, let alone met a live person. I know virtually nothing about these _humans_."

Her father grinned mercilessly and threw a hard hand repeatedly on her back. She huffed indignantly.

"Oh, but I am, doll face. I am more serious about this than I have been about anything else in my entire life… Except for that whole fiasco with Hercules and Megara… Yeah, Zeus is never going to let me live that down."

Demetriades felt like her entire world was crumbling around her. She sniffed indelicately.

"Well, what in the name of you am I even supposed to do once I get there?" she asked quizzically, "I don't know how humans act. I don't understand them in the slightest."

Hades laughed, "Well, you know that you're the child of a villain. Do what children of villains normally do. Act like a villain."

Demetriades sighed pitifully. The weight of her father's simple remark had her staring exasperatedly at the ground below her, as she uselessly went over her choices within her mind. Well, the goddess could always firstly refuse, and then be forced to go. Likewise, she could also just accept her fate and _still_ have to go. Oh, the plethora of alternatives that were at her disposal.

Just as the goddess was about to reluctantly bow down to her father's will, the stubborn teenager felt a wave of irate fury rush through her. Her brows narrowed dangerously, and a deep fire entered her dark eyes. The hand by her side filled with a bright ball of pink fire, as her form shook from her intense vehemence. No, she could _not_ just give up on this without first putting up at least some kind of fight!

Demetriades let out a wild growl. Oh, she would never leave the Underworld in order to be sent to that stupid preppy human school. Ever.

* * *

A short, slightly pudgy teen glared around himself at the various broken shells that laid upon the slightly wet floor beneath him. Beside the shells, laid a cracked fish tank. He stared angrily at the mess that he made, his eyes running coldly over his own handiwork. He noted with a smirk that a few fish laid lifeless amongst the pieces of glass and seashells. The evil teen watched, as the last fish wiggled around in one spot for a long moment, before it finally took in its last gasp of air and suddenly passed. He let out a cruel and unloving laugh, staring hatefully at the unmoving creature.

He physically jumped when a shocked voice came from behind him. He rolled his eyes when he realized that it was the shrill screaming of his mother, Ursula.

"Major! Oh my god, my babies. Major, I am appalled at you!"

Her son only smirked, until he turned around to face her and gave her an earnest expression.

"But it was an accident, Mother! Honest!"

Ursula only harrumphed and hatefully grabbed at his cheek. He yelped, and he closed his eyes. The purple orbs teared up, as she practically drug him across the living room into his bedroom with a purposeful sharpness in her steps.

"Don't give me that shit! You may be able to lie your way out of everyone else's shit," the livid woman complained, "But you certainly aren't pulling a fast one over me. Oh, you are _definitely_ leaving this house tomorrow!"

Major faked a panicked tone, "But Mother! Please don't make me go! I don't want to go! I love you!"

Ursula tossed her son hatefully into the room and threw his door shut behind him. A brash slam resounded throughout the entire apartment building.

"You don't love me! I don't think that you're capable of loving anyone!"

As Major carelessly listened to his mother's scream, he could not help but smirk contemptuously at her trivial spouting. On the contrary, his mother could not have been any more wrong.

Walking over to his bedside drawer, the black haired teen opened the piece of furniture and placed a handsome finger over the small picture frame that sat within it. He traced it delicately across the face of the beautiful woman smiling back at him, before a soft smile overtook his features. For a moment, there was no malice in his blackened heart; only the love and comfort they he inwardly drew from her smile. A tender sigh left his lips, and he raised the frame gently up to his mouth. He gave the image a small kiss.

"I'm coming for you, Melody."

The teen spoke his loving proclamation, and he stuck the picture frame carefully back inside his drawer. He glanced around himself nervously, before he let out a small chuckle, which gradually grew into a hearty chortle.

It was official. Major was ready for whatever Auradon High had in store for him.


	3. (EXTRA) Character Reference Sheet

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ** This is a detailed list of the Villains and Heroes that will be seen in this story. This is not entirely detrimental to the story, but it will really help for later reference when we finally meet all of my OCs if you would like to read back on everyone that you will see/have seen.
> 
> WARNING: This page is subject to changes in the future, as more characters can be added.

**Villains**

Ace of Hearts – Son of the Queen of Hearts and the King of Hearts, who gets feelings for Liddy Liddell Hatter, the curiously odd daughter of Alice Liddell Hatter and the Mad Hatter. On his first day he gets invited to a tea party where they talk about their dreams, and she starts to make him wonder about his own image. She says how she is thought of as weird, but that she is okay with that. He decides that life is not always about getting his way, and that maybe it is best to look at the world with a slightly askew view.

Jenny "Left" Hook – Daughter of Captain James Hook, who immediately sees Cruella's son as a sissy boy with no evilness and vows to toughen him up, no matter what. Although she attempts to teach Carlos the ways of a pirate and how to fight like a sea-dog, the teen ends up falling for his sweet side. Instead of treating him like a dog, she practically begins to co-adopt his dog.

Amedee Facilier – Son of Doctor Facilier, who comes into Auradon High with a plot to steal the heart of a beautiful, bodacious villain, sets his mischievous sights on Evie and tries to woo her with his magic card tricks. This is much to the chagrin of Doug, who struggles with his secret crush on her. As the night of the end of the year dance comes closer, he must heighten his advances and create a potion which makes her more attracted to him.

Sherah Frollo – Daughter of Judge Claude Frollo, who walks around campus saying bible verses, and people consider her a nut job, even though she actually has a kind heart. She joins the school's bible club. She is a social outcast, although she slowly becomes friends with Jafar's son. Jay teaches her that it is cool to have her own beliefs, and that everyone should be free to have their own thoughts, but that she would have to calm down if she wanted to have more friends.

Demetriades – Daughter of Hades and Persephone, who has the form of her mother, but the powers of her father. She is elegant and headstrong, although very crass and quick-witted. She is also stubborn and EXTREMELY likely to blow her top off. Literally. She turns red when she is angry and yells a lot. Her favorite pastime is playing ghost chess with Facilier, and she gets a crush on Jay, but becomes angry when he starts to spend time with Sherah. She uses her magic to mess with the tiny girl. Basically: "Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned."

Major – Son of Ursula who concocts a plan to rule the school by being charming. He flirts with the other students in the hopes of having them fall in love with him, and then forcing them to being foolish enough to bow down to his will. He begins to have an interest in Melody, the daughter of Ariel and Eric, although his main goal is ultimate popularity. He is suave, but ruthless. Basically, if he cannot be Auradon's End of the Year King, then no one can.

* * *

**Heroes**

Lidia "Liddy" Liddell Hatter – Daughter of Alice Liddell Hatter and the Mad Hatter who becomes friends with Mal in her baking class, making scones and finger cakes. She later meets Ace outside of the gardens and invites him to a small tea party in the courtyard one afternoon. The two become friends, although she is currently crushing over two people at the same time: Christie, the daughter of Christopher Robin, and Kristopher, the son of Kristoff and Anna. She adores the fact that both of them are kind, bumbling, and sweet. She is quirkily bisexual.

Christie Robin Milne – Daughter of Christopher Robin who is an art major. She befriends Evie in their art class and compliments her choice in makeup. The two quickly hit it off, and become fast friends, speaking about the pros and cons of magical apples and having a bear for a companion. Much to Lidia's chagrin, Christie's best friend is Kristopher. Christie is open about the fact that she is a lesbian.

Kristopher of Arendelle – Son of Kristoff and Anna, who is a member of the lacrosse team and is a friend of Ben. He sits with Flynn, because he is a prince. He is more reserved than the rest of the princes, but he is fun and witty. He has a weird relationship with the campus reindeer who lives in the stables, and his best friend is Christie. They hang out a lot, but he has no romantic feelings for her. He thinks that Melody is pretty cute, even though he has never talked to her before.

Princess Melody – Daughter of Ariel and Eric who has a passion for adventure and romance. She likes Kristopher from afar, but is too awkward to talk to him. She is naturally an introvert, so she tends to stay on the sidelines, although her favorite pastime is fantasizing about everything in her daily life. She misses being able to see the ocean on some days, because she is currently living away from home in the Auradon dorms. She considers her best friend to be Doug, since he is one of the only people that she talks to. She happily plays the flute in her high school's marching band. Her second best friend is Sebastian the crab, much to his own vexation, who she must save from Mal's clutches one day during cooking class.

Flynn Fitzherbert – Son of Rapunzel and Eugene, who is both incredibly cocky and dashingly handsome. He is quite popular, so he sits with the other princes. Still, he detests Chad Charming. His closest friends are Ben and Kristopher. His favorite running joke is to jokingly hit on Sherah, although his main affections are for Nadia and her delicious cooking.

Nadia of Maldonia – Daughter of Tiana and Naveen, who is a student in Mal's cooking class. She speaks with a Louisiana accent, and with her mocha-colored skin and sassy attitude, she catches the affections of many men, but has her sights set on only one man: Flynn Fitzherbert. Too bad he likes Sherah, or so she thinks. A quote from her is, "I swear, this thief done stole my heart, Mal."

Cosmosis – Son of Hercules and Megara, who is boastfully arrogant and meat-headed. His favorite pastime is showing off and hitting on females. At lunch, he sits with the other princes, although he is not much for conversation. He is a bully and laughs at the fact that he has an IQ of seventy. He sees Demetriades and is instantly attracted to her, even though the goddess would literally burn him off the face of the earth if she would not get expelled for doing so. The brute's best friend is Chad Charming. His nickname is Cosmos.


	4. The Arrival

"Okay, this is it people!" came the overly ecstatic voice of Ben, as the teen stood in the middle of the front school courtyard. He clapped his hands twice, "Come on, let's do it _right_ this time!"

Mal carefully walked up from behind him and asked, "Um, Ben. Do you not think that this is too much?"

The young man blinked in surprise and gazed happily at his woman.

"Nonsense. Of course not," the now coronated prince began, until he suddenly sent his girlfriend a very worried expression.

Unexpectedly, he asked her, "Do you think they'll want to introduce their selves to everyone?"

Mal gave him a scrunched up face, but placed a gentle hand over his shoulder. She stared directly into his eyes and seriously replied, "While that is a great idea Ben, I think it is also the _last_ thing that these guys want to do right now. Trust me."

Her boyfriend stood there in the utmost thought for a long moment, before he finally sent her a charming grin. She could already tell that he was about to say something stupid.

"I think I will have them introduce themselves," the teen then finalized, throwing a content arm around his girlfriend's shoulders. The violet haired girl snuggled in closer to his warm embrace and let out a short laugh at his foolishness. Once a sweet idiot, always a sweet idiot.

"Whatever," Mal shrugged her shoulders and airily remarked, "Alright then. Your funeral."

"Says you," Ben swiftly replied, before ducking in to steal a quick kiss. He expertly pulled away and said, "Loser says what."

"What?"

He cheerfully tapped on her nose, "Got you, Mal!"

The woman in his arms blushed, but allowed a look of indignance to cross her features. She stuck out her tongue at him, but held no malice in her green orbs; only a sense of playfulness and love. The girl glanced around them as the rest of the students of Auradon High School stood in their appropriate places, stilling in anticipation of their newest transfer students. Behind the power couple, stood the King and Queen. Beside them was the Fairy Godmother and her daughter Jane. The girl waved cheerfully when she saw Mal glance at her. The purple haired teen smiled softly and waved back, turning to gaze at the winding trail which led to the school's front steps.

Mal took in a deep breath and slowly let it out. She took in another one.

"Don't be nervous," the sound of Ben's reassuring voice made her look over at him. She blinked when he smiled gently and reached over to squeeze her hand, "You're not happy when you're nervous. Besides, there's no need for you to be nervous when you have a prince beside you."

She scoffed at his grin, but held securely onto his hand.

"What a dork," she muttered jokingly, before she instantly turned her eyes back onto the road. The girl bit anxiously at her lip and stared apprehensively far into the distance. She knew what villains were capable of. She had grown up surrounded by villains, and yet she also knew that everyone deserved to have a fair chance at learning how to lead a good life. In the end, perhaps they would become good. But at the moment, the girl could only struggle to fully believe it. Maybe they had made a mistake when pleading their case to the King and Queen. Suddenly, something dark appeared in the distance.

Mal snapped hastily to attention when she caught sight of a shiny black coach suddenly heading toward them. She stilled completely beside Ben. Against her skin, she felt the sensation of her boyfriend fully straightening his back, as he took in a giddy breath.

"Start playing!" the prince happily turned and ordered at the marching band that was standing behind the royal family and their colleges. He grinned widely in anticipation.

At the front of the group, Doug and Melody glanced dubiously at one another before they both raised their respected horns up to their mouths. They pursed their lips in anticipation. The boy was an expert at playing the trumpet, while his friend was a pro at tooting on the flute. Both held a deep passion for music, and the rest of their bandmates quickly followed their lead.

Doug obediently counted off the band. The entire group immediately began to play a cheerful tune.

On the sidelines, a fully enraptured Evie gazed merrily at her best friend Doug and clapped her hands jovially along with the music. She blinked when both Jay and Carlos suddenly shook their heads at her, and the latter reached over to gently bring her hands down towards her front. She gave them a sheepish expression, but looked back towards the marching band and caught Doug's wayward gaze. He blushed instantly at the small eye contact, because he knew that he had been caught staring again, but she only beamed in encouragement. There was no hint of mockery in her eyes. A happy, much louder trill than before instantly left his trumpet, and he went back to his playing, still feeling hot from the prolonged eye contact. He smiled, as he blew into his horn.

Beside him, Melody witnessed the short exchange through the corner of her eye and rolled her eyes exaggeratedly at her bumbling section leader. She gave him a pointed stare, and he looked down at the ground with an embarrassed look as he played. The princess laughed mentally. Oh, her best friend would _never_ live this down, and Doug knew that Melody would make sure of that fact. She trilled an upbeat diddling sound beside him, before glancing away from him to look around at her surroundings. She visibly stilled. Her pretty blue eyes landed on the form of a strong and thick male with a head full of luscious golden locks that blended itself expertly with a plethora of bright auburn streaks. She instantly paled. The boy was staring straight at her in silent fixation.

Only one thought ran through the teen's mind, and it shook her to the very core: _Kristopher of Arendelle._

Melody mentally sweated and fumbled awkwardly in her marching shoes. She suddenly felt extremely gaudy and unattractive, standing there in front of the entire student body in her bulky blue and gold uniform. Her eyes quickly jerked back onto the limo which came to a careful stop in front of them. A hot breath escaped her, and she glanced out of the corner of her eye to see Doug smirking up at her. She screwed up her eyes and sent him a sarcastic expression. He merely shrugged his shoulders, as their prepared song finally came to an abrupt halt. They expertly threw down their arms, maneuvering their horns down into a rest position by their sides. The entire band stared straight in front of themselves.

Ben took an authoritative step forward, as the limo driver stepped out to open the back door for its passengers. He gave an award-winning smile when he saw the first person step out. The villains all looked up at the same time. Students from all around them stood in mild excitement, and a few even waved at the cluster as they sullenly clambered out of the car. Both Amedee and Major smirked. The two men winked in reply, and most of the girls felt weak in the knees. Beside them, Ace felt an immense wave of anxiety rush over him from the weight of their stares and shied away from them, silently moving back to stand at the tail end of the group. He hung his head down at the ground. Directly in front of him, Sherah gave a confident wave in return, while Jenny and Demetriades simply scowled in what they both hoped was a _very_ standoff expression. The latter made her hand into a slight fist, which glowed with a deep pink color. She could already tell that she was going to hate having this many eyes on her.

Ben smiled and threw out his arms grandly, "Hello my dear transfer students, and welcome to Auradon High!"

"Flamboyant, much?" muttered Jenny. From beside her, Demetriades hurriedly shushed the teen and gave the pirate an irate glance. The two stared at each other for a long moment, before they both huffily turned their attention back onto the prince before them.

Unaware of their exchange, the prince optimistically carried on.

"I guess I can introduce myself to you. I am Prince Ben, the son of King Beast and Queen Belle."

Ben stuck out his hand for Amedee to take, to which the teen simply stared at the offending appendage. He looked amusedly up at the Prince, before slowly reaching out to grasp his hand. A soft, purple glow entered the edges of his eyes. The two shook hands, and as they let go, the much darker boy discreetly wiped his hand against the bottom of his extravagant coat. He inwardly grimaced. No princely do-gooder germs for this villain, no sir. Still, the young Facilier faked a kind smile.

This seemed to satisfy Ben. The male beamed a joyful 'I-told-you-so' grin back at his parents, before he jovially introduced them, "This is my mother Belle, the esteemed Queen of Auradon, and this is my father, the especially _steamed_ King of Auradon."

Their son let out a dorky laugh at his stupid joke and looked hopefully toward his parents. The pair of beautiful royals both smiled accordingly, although the King's smile never met his eyes. His mouth strained in an obviously forced beam that all of the villains easily noticed. They knew when someone was faking, as each of the teens felt their eyes narrow in minor disappointment. In accordance, the six gave no real response, however, and queerly turned their gaze back onto the prince who merely continued to monologue in front of them.

"Now this one, this one is amazing. Ladies and gentleman, it is my deepest honor and greatest pride, to introduce you to the very talented and the very beautiful Fairy Godmother."

She laughed. The slightly thick brunette blushed but smiled grandly. She gave the students a small wave and said, "Oh, please Ben, stop it with the flattery. Good morning to each and every one of you! I am Fairy Godmother, and I shall be your goodness teacher for the next few months. It is such a pleasure to have you here. I know that you will like it here, I guarantee it. You will love your time here at Auradon High. It is amazing, and I am just so happy to have the chance to be able to get to know you all."

The older woman smiled again, and the timid girl standing beside her gave a small wave at them.

Ben immediately piped, "Oh, yeah. That is Jane, the Fairy Godmother's daughter. Isn't she lovely?"

Jane flushed, but sent him a sarcastic look. He only grinned and threw a loving arm around his girlfriend.

"Last, but certainly not least," he proudly boasted, "We have the one, the only: Mal. The newly turned good daughter of the infamous evil incarnate, Maleficent."

The villains all piqued in interest, but Major felt his spirits brighten immensely.

Forgetting where he was, the boy excitedly asked, "Really? How does it feel, Mal? What's it like having such a terrible person for a mother?"

Mal blinked. The last thing that she had expected from the bunch of villains was for them to have an interest in her old home life, but she could guess that it was completely understandable. Not everyone was born to one of the most evil villains on the Isle of the Lost.

She thought about her words for a long moment, before she eventually forced out a small grin in their direction. She gradually replied, "It's… very lonely."

This was all that she said, as Major suddenly whitened and finally remembered where he was. The evil fanboy reigned in control of his emotions and mutely nodded, taking an involuntary step backward. He could not let the other students see him like this. He needed to be more careful next time.

Mal turned her lips into a softer expression, and she admitted, "Look guys. I can clearly see the disdain in your eyes. Heck, I have even felt the same disdain before. I was in your shoes once, but believe me when I say that it is _not_ as bad here as it seems. Because honestly, it seems terrible at the moment, right? It is actually pretty fun, believe it or not. The people here are generally nice. They are far different from the people that you usually find on the streets of the Lost-"

Demetriades sarcastically raised her hand, "Uh, yeah. I wanna meet the _not_ generally nice people."

"No you don't," Mal laughed but then sobered up, "Seriously, you don't."

The goddess was taken aback, but said nothing as the prince happily continued.

***made a gesture at all of the students who were standing around them.

"As per the job of being the school's newest coronated prince, it will be an absolute honor to lead you six around the school. I am sure that you will be happy with your stay here. The place is a very good school in both personality and academics. It has a garden, a hedge maze, tennis courts, a huge dining hall, and a humongous gym with only the best fitness equipment. I wonder, do any of you like to swim? Well, we have one of the largest competitive swimming pools in the land."

As the cheerful prince continued on and on, the villains were beginning to get restless. They looked around at all of the students that were staring at them.

"Kill me," Amedee softly muttered beneath his breath.

Next to him, Jenny gave a grim expression, "Agreed. You do me, I do you?"

From her place, Demetriades sent them both a dull stare and happily chirped, "Already dead. Now shut up so I can hear what the stupid human has to say."

Ben walked up closer to the six of them and patted Major on the shoulder, looking out at the students around them. He took in a deep breath.

"Attention students!" he decreed, "Now is the time that we will allow our new friends the chance to introduce themselves. Please everyone, remain quiet and give them your utmost attention. Show them an example of the respect that we expect from all of our students here at Auradon High."

The blond smiled his princely smile and turned back to the villains with a content grin. They each wore an expression of dubious surprise, except for Ace who was practically shaking in his red boots. The poor boy utterly detested the idea of having to speak in front of so many people. It frightened him. Sure, his mother was a loud mouth who loved attention, but her son downright hated the idea of somehow messing up, and the anxiety that was building up within his gut began to virtually eat at his vocal chords. Ace felt like throwing up.

The handsome prince kindly spoke at the villains as a whole, "Now then, after you."

He took a step back and allowed the six transfer students to have possession of the middle of the square. They blanched. Each of the villains looked around themselves and silently waited for one of the other idiots to finally step forward. An audible sigh of relief came from Ace when Demetriades assertively strode forward.

"Well, I guess I will start this," the goddess lazily said and cocked a haughty hip, "First of all, this is incredibly stupid."

Many students gasped at her sudden proclamation. She smirked mirthlessly.

"Like really stupid. I mean, if anyone told you not to do this, then they deserve a gold medal in common sense. Secondly, I am not happy to be here. My dad forced me into coming. So with that said, hey. My name is Demetriades. I'm the daughter of Hades and Persephone."

She looked around herself and nodded instinctively. Maybe _that_ would keep people away from her…

Sherah smiled a little and stepped forward, placing her hands together in front of herself. She gave a slight bow of the head to the large student body and articulately spoke, "I am Sherah Frollo, the daughter of the honorable Judge Claude Frollo. It is a pleasure to be able to meet all of you."

"Yo," Amedee smirked and gave everyone a suave wave, "The name is Amedee Facilier, and I'm a master of cards. I'm the son of Doctor Facilier, but that don't mean nothing. Feel free to come on by and play with me anytime."

The pretty male winked and closed his eyes when he heard the pleasing sound of women swooning from all sides. Oh, yeah. The young bachelor would _definitely_ love being at Auradon. He looked behind himself and watched as Jenny moodily crossed her arms, taking a dull step forward.

"I am Jenny Hook, the daughter of Captain Hook," she loudly called out to everyone, "And my favorite thing to do is punch things. I'm a pirate through and through, so… yeah. Bite me."

A few awkward claps sounded, as the second boy in the bunch stepped forward. It was Major, who raised a long arm and gave a princely wave at the people around them. He smirked when he heard the tell-tale sound of girlish whispering. All a part of the plan, he airily thought to himself.

Major smiled a fake grin, "It is wonderful to be attending Auradon with all of you fine students. I am happy to be here, and I hope to get to know each and every one of you."

Behind him, Demetriades muttered, "Kiss ass."

Major merely smirked in response. He turned towards Ace, who stumbled anxiously up to the front of the thin group of ragtag villains and stilled. Ace took in a panicked breath, as his stomach gave a few agonizing grumbles. The teen stood there physically sweating in his spot.

Ace looked down at the ground below him and meekly began, "I-I'm Ace… of H-Hearts. My mother is-"

The boy placed an uncomfortable hand beneath his neck and clumsily cleared out his throat. He started to stutter, as his hands began to shake, "M-My m-mother is… the Q-Queen-"

Ace felt a wave of sickness run down his spine, and his stomach churned uneasily from the stress of his raw nerves. It grumbled in a horrid sound of protest. The villains standing around him all raised their brows at his back, and the ex-villain standing a few feet away from him took a worried step forward.

"Is everything alright?" Mal worriedly asked him.

Ace attempted to lie and nod his head weakly, but the pained expression that was on his face showed the actual strength of his now completely frayed nerves. The teen shook nervously and whatever he had ate for lunch was suddenly starting to betray his trust. At this point, he could not remember, nor even care what it was. All he knew was that something bad was about to happen.

Slowly, Mal moved to place a gentle hand over his shoulder. She let out a soft breath, "Hey, hey. It's okay. Just take in a deep breath."

Ace followed her advice, but his face took on a panicked look. The boy tried to swallow down his fear, but that only made his stomach hurt worse. Suddenly, his words came rushing out of him, and he threw his head down, accidentally puking on the ground at her feet. A gasp sounded from all around him.

Mal visibly jumped away from the grotesque stench and scrunched up her nose at the revolting sight. She raised her gaze to stare caringly at the villain in front of her, but then looked over her shoulder to glare pointedly at Ben. Her eyes narrowed dangerously.

"Never again," she threatened hastily, before moving to repeatedly pat at his back. She rubbed a gentle circle into his shoulder blades, as a couple of hot tears formed in Ace's eyes. It was only his first day, and the poor teen had already ruined what little bit of social life he would ever have at this school. No one at Auradon would _ever_ want to talk to him now. His shoulders drooped heavily.

Mal sent Ben a panicked glare and nudged her eyebrows in the general direction of the surrounding students.

"Send them away, send them away," she muttered beneath her breath, as she placed a caring arm around the heaved-out teen's back. Tired, Ace laid his head onto her shoulder with his eyesight swimming in a sick jumble. Ben nodded mutely and raised his hands commandingly.

"The introductions are all over, and you all are excused now! Go and have a free period in the gardens or something."

All of the students blinked dubiously, but followed their prince's orders. As the students gradually drifted out of the courtyard, Ben ran towards the exhausted boy and gently took him from Mal. He held an unwavering arm around the teen and stared concernedly into his eyes.

"Can you walk?" he seriously asked.

Ace nodded tiredly and took in a sickly breath. He swallowed down the nasty taste in his mouth and honestly replied, "I-I t-think so. Oh god, I messed up."

"Aw, no you didn't honey," Fairy Godmother babied, using a quick flick of her wrist to do an easy clean up job on the small puddle of upchuck that laid like all of Ace's hopes and dreams on the ground, "It was just a little stomach mishap that has happened to everyone at some time or another. Nothing to really worry about."

Ace threw his arms around himself and frowned delicately, firmly placing his eyes onto the ground below him, as Ben went to lead him towards the nurse's office. Behind him, Ace heard the sound of Jenny indelicately scoffing under her breath.

"What a wimp," she murmured heartlessly, and Ace's own heart broke. Oh god, he felt utterly mortified.

Ben sent Mal a concerned expression and questioned, "Would you mind showing them their dorms?"

"Not at all," his girlfriend effortlessly smiled, "I have this covered. You go and take good care of him."

Ben nodded and gave her his trademarked handsome smile. He said nothing, but he did not have to. The prince's eyes said it all.

I love you, they gleamed in the sunlight.

I love you too, her emerald eyes seemed to silently speak back.

Once he moved to turn away from Mal and the other villains, the prince helped Ace sluggishly make his way towards the nurse's office, allowing the shorter teen to lean against him for support. Ace sighed regrettably. The dark headed boy glared at the still spinning ground below him and walked silently. His stomach churned, but he was happy to note that there was nothing left in his body to puke up. At least _now_ his guts would stay inside of him, he mused sardonically.

At Ace's side, Ben tried to keep up a light conversation, but soon saw that the boy was not going to reply. Eventually, the two settled into a mutual silence. Ben let in a low, soundless breath. Perhaps it was nice to be quiet every once in a while.

* * *

Back in the square, Mal stared confusedly at the remaining villains in front of her. Her hand fumbled nervously at the bottom of her dark jacket, and she stared mutely. Honestly, she had no idea what to do with them, but Ben had put his trust into her to help lead these villains into learning how it feels to be good, and _dammit_ she would help them… But how?

"Um, I guess you can follow me then," the violet haired girl muttered unsurely.

The five villains glanced curiously at one another, but shrugged their shoulders in an uncaring fashion. They each paused. The level of indifference was unanimous, and the group gave the ex-villain a blank stare. She let out an awkward laugh.

"Well…," Mal scratched at her head nervously, "Anything that you would like to see first?"

The villains thought for a long moment, as each of them mulled over their own thoughts, but no one said anything. The hush was finally broken when Major raised his hand. He sent her a questioning look.

"Um, yeah, can we go check out the pool?"

Mal's eyes brightened at the idea.

"Of course!" she immediately quipped.

Curiously, Sherah asked, "Do you have a church?"

Mal paused and eventually answered, "Well, we have a club. Is that okay?"

The teen stoically nodded.

"It will do," she quickly replied.

"Okay," Mal nodded in relief, "This is good. We are talking about things, and we are asking questions."

Both Demetriades and Jenny sarcastically rolled their eyes at the girl.

With an upbeat attitude, Mal continued on, "And now, we are _walking_. Follow me, you guys."

Mal waved her hand in a tag-along motion and turned to walk away. The rest of the villains merely glared into her back, before slowly trudging behind her.

"Talk about a goody two-shoes," Major muttered to Amedee, moderately disappointed in Mal's lack of evil attitude.

The teen shrugged, but then shook his head in slight wonder.

"So much for being the daughter of a villain, I guess."

Jenny popped up from behind them and asked, "Should we be worried, you guys?"

"Nah," Amedee smirked and threw a light arm around the tough pirate, "We're evil, and we were born evil. Ain't nothing gonna go and change that fact."

Jenny only sighed and leaned a bit into his flighty embrace. Her chest hurt, and she reached up to place a tender hand over her heart. It beat quietly within her chest. She closed the lids of her dark eyes, her eyelashes brushing softly against her cheek. The girl was already missing the presence of her father, and it had only been one day for her. He was her best friend...

Jenny's lips settled a firm, grim line, and she distinctly paled. This was going to be a _looong_ next few months.

"If you say so," she heard herself breathe sadly into his arm, "If you say so."


	5. The Breakdown

As the band students walked off to relieve themselves of their uniforms, Melody let out a laugh and gave Doug an amused look. She nudged him jokingly in the side.

"What was that?" the raven haired girl instantly grinned, already thinking back to her friend's interaction with Evie.

Doug only shrugged and let a sly smirk cross his features. The short trumpet player playfully nudged her in return and sent her a sarcastic look, replying, "I think I could ask you the same thing, Mel."

Melody scoffed, but blushed accordingly. The girl shook her head with her dark ponytail flying behind her and went to pull off her blue jacket, airily rolling her eyes in his direction. She eventually smiled down at him.

"Whatever," Melody offhandedly spoke, "I'm just concerned since you looked like you wanted to jump her bones, is all."

"What?" Doug cried in a rushed whisper. His face became hot, as he looked around himself, and he watched her guffaw openly at his utterly panicked expression.

Melody laughed, dutifully folding up her jacket, and idly setting it over her arm in order to carry the thick garnet in the band room to put it up for next year's lacrosse season. She tightened her hold around her flute and smirked with a firm amusement in her eyes. She continued, "Oh, don't act like you didn't hear me, dwarf boy."

"Oh yeah," Doug embarrassedly challenged, "Then what about you and that pretty blond boy, huh? Don't act like I didn't see you looking at him and the panic in your eyes when he so much as glanced at you... Honestly, it's easy to tell that you have a major crush on him. Just go up and talk to him. You're amazing, so what could you lose?"

"Same to you," Melody mumbled in her caring reply with a blush. She asked down to her best friend, "You _do_ know that you already have a fair shot with Evie, right? I mean, she practically adores you already. Just go for it."

Doug's eyes opened in mild surprise.

"Y-You think so?" he quickly worried up to her, "B-Because sometimes I feel like she does, but then she will go and just act a certain way that says _differently_ , and then I'm not too sure again-"

Doug exasperatingly shook his head, "Ugh, it's just so frustrating!"

"I'm sure that she likes you," Melody gave him a soft smile and reached over to gently pat his arm. The girl winked, before saying, "You just need to give the two of you young'ns a fair chance at a relationship. Give yourself a chance. Give Evie a chance."

At her kind words, Doug blinked in response but slowly let a smile form on his lips. He gave his friend a grateful glance.

"Thanks Mel," he replied softly with a light flush, "You don't give up either, okay?"

The girl in question merely grinned and fingered awkwardly at the loose fibers that hung off of her jacket. She gently mumbled, "Agreed. I guess we both have things that we need to work on this year, huh?"

"Yeah," Doug nodded in slow acknowledgement, before sighing dejectedly, as they finally neared the entrance of the band room.

Hesitatingly, his friend muttered a short, "Good luck."

Doug gave her a thin smile and duly replied, "You too."

Trudging forward, the pair mutually walked into the band room, and both let out an awkward laugh. They paused. With a faint blush, the two teens nervously turned to wave at one another, as they parted ways. It was true; the two friends would certainly need all of the luck that they could get.

* * *

"Are you sure that you will be alright here on your own?" Ben frettingly wondered down to a dejected Ace. The boy's head hung downward, as he sat sickly upon a small grey table, "Honestly, do not hesitate to say no, because I am _more_ than okay with staying here to keep you company until the nurse can finally see you."

Ace gave a remorseful smile and looked tiredly up at Ben. He stared into the prince's brown eyes for a long moment, before he suddenly pulled away. It was almost funny how the slightly overbearing man seemed to hover around the younger boy like a nervous, handsome hummingbird. The teen grunted. He sighed pointedly, and his shoulders drooped for the hundredth time, as his fingers moved to grip tightly onto the table. His knuckles turned a stark white.

"Not that I don't appreciate your diligence Ben, because I kind of do, but I really would rather be by myself right now," the raven haired teen dimly admitted, "I'm sorry."

The prince felt taken aback, but then gave an understanding smile at the teen's apology. His eyes simply shined at the very thought of a villain _ever_ saying the word sorry. It truly was a beautiful concept. There was definitely hope for this boy, yet.

Still, Ben worriedly said, "Okay, but only because that is what you wish. This was all my fault. It was so stupid and crass of me to expect you all to introduce yourselves to the entirety of the school... I really hope that you start to feel better soon."

At that, Ace allowed himself a true smile.

"That is correct," the villain humorlessly muttered. He watched, as Ben's shoulders suddenly dropped in dejection, and he immediately felt bad for the older male. The dark haired boy let out a hopeless chuckle, "However, thank you for at least _trying_ to make me feel better. It really does mean a lot to me."

Upon hearing his words, the prince brightened. His happiness was dashed when Ace suddenly let out another sickly groan, and he gave a heavy frown. The elder student immediately turned worried.

"Are you okay? Is everything alright?" Ben rapidly fussed, staring at Ace with a pair of wide eyes, as he placed a careful hand over his stomach. The prince hastily moved to run outside the room and called back, "There is a trashcan behind you! I am going to go see if I can find the nurse."

As the sound of Ben running off entered Ace's ears, the younger boy instantly paled. He could not be there when they came back. He refused to be there when he came back. _There was no way that he was staying there._ The boy had to leave.

Sticking out his tongue in a look of moderate discomfort, the raven haired villain gingerly pushed himself off the table. He let out a dull grunt and a painful sigh when he felt his feet exhaustedly hit the ground below him.

"I can't be in here. Gotta go hide," Ace muttered softly to himself, already moving to look outside the awaiting door. He cheered inwardly when he saw that he was completely alone in the nurse's office. Bit by bit, stepping delicately into the hallway, the teen strode forward, until he suddenly turned his steps into a mad sprint. He had to move fast. He had to get out while no one else was here. The male let out an exhilarated laugh.

Ace smiled brightly, beginning to feel lighter, as he swiftly continued to struggle his way down the long corridor. He hurriedly searched for a place to hide. The teen suddenly stopped in his tracks, as a heavenly beam of yellow light entered his vision. He stared in confusion, before his gaze drifted upward to his left, and he felt a huge weightlessness when he saw that he was passing by a gargantuan window. He grinned. His heart skipped like a record, as behind the piece of glass stood a grand and intricate landscape. A magnificently tall form of escape; a hedge maze. It was absolutely beautiful, yet also somewhat foreboding. Perfect.

Now that the teen had finally found his destination, Ace's grin became grander, and a bit of a pep entered his step at the thought of finally getting some alone time. This was a gift from himself, after all. This is what he wanted right now; to be completely alone, although unknown to him, this was definitely _not_ what he needed. But he had always had trouble with knowing how to dig a little deeper. The teen needed to learn how to talk through his issues and learn how to understand others. Not run away. In the end, running would always solve nothing.

Yet, the long haired boy continued to huff indelicately and sprinted as fast as his shaking legs could take him down the seemingly never-ending hallway. He took in a deep breath, glancing hastily around himself, but failed to see the pair of sparkling green eyes, which meticulously followed him down the hallway from a hidden corner. The two emeralds sharpened understandably, and the figure studied him closely, before gradually moving forward. It stared. Blinking curiously, the owner of the eyes allowed a gentle but firm smirk to grace its features. Instantly, the tiny person erupted into a set of gentle, girlish giggles.

"Well, what is this?" it wondered aloud, "Running and running. Just running away from problems."

The shadow crept further and gave the large, toothy grin of a mad man. Its' emerald eyes sharpened.

"Curiouser and curiouser," the unknown giggle spoke into the distance and noiselessly emerged from the shadows. The short bob of blond hair that sat on its head bounced a little, and the slinking figure stopped for a brief moment, before swiftly beginning to follow him down the hallway. It skipped once, humming an almost inaudible tune. Something about a lobster, she thought. A moderately mad chuckle escaped its' throat. It was completely giddy at the thought of its' next chase.

* * *

"And here are the men's dorms," Mal smiled over to the villains, as she led them into the male dormitory. They trampled like a bunch of tourists into a grand and miraculously sized hall. A beautiful crystalline chandelier hung from the ceiling above them. Both Amedee and Major gazed around themselves in slight wonder, and then trained their eyes back onto the purple haired girl in front of them. The former male gave her a charming smile.

"I wonder," the dark boy jibbed, casually slinking up to her side, "But is there _any_ way that you could show us up to our rooms?"

Mal let out an awkward laugh but sent him a tad grin. She politely declined his question. Amedee instantly frowned.

"Well, you are welcome up there any time," he casually muttered, although his brows furrowed uneasily. Most girls would have literally jumped at the opportunity to come up to his room for some... _activities_. But not this girl. Not Mal.

The witch smiled and pointed over to a nearby wall.

"There is a map on the wall over there which will show you how to locate your rooms. Don't worry, they are very easy to locate. Oh, which reminds me," the teen trailed off, as she reached into her pocket to pull out a trio of room keys that she had picked up from the front office earlier, "Here is a key for the two of you, plus one for Ace. They each have the number of your room engraved on them, so it definitely should be hard for you to forget it. _Please_ , just make sure that you keep a good eye on your room keys. There is no telling what someone would do if they ever got a hold of them."

Major dutifully nodded, but delicately reached for the three keys. He stared deeply into her eyes, as his own moderately thick fingers wrapped around the thin pieces of seemingly normal copper. The teen gave her an attractive leer. His eyes seemed to glow an imaginary purple, and she stared blankly up at him, completely unaffected by his magic and utterly clueless at his obvious attempts to flirt with her. Still, the ex-villain did not notice his advances. Major felt his overconfident heart twist in annoyance. This woman was supposed to fall for him. Everyone was suppose to fall for him!

Beside the two teens, both Demetriades and Jenny let out a pleased scoff, and he sent them an annoyed stare. They made a mocking face at him, before conjointly snickering at his expression. Then their gazes turned, and their eyes locked, only to force themselves to face huffily away from one another. The pirate and goddess mutually crossed their arms in mild derision. They each glowered heatedly.

Finally, Major muttered, "Right," and scowled finely at the pair.

With a sigh, the appealing brunette simply shrugged and moved to carelessly offer Amedee his own private key, before pocketing his specific key, "Noted. I will pass it on to the barf boy."

Mal nodded, but then allowed a worried expression to form on her features. She smiled sadly, "I really hope that he starts to feel better. I told Ben that it would not be a good idea to try anything too drastic, and he did not listen to me. Of course he did not listen to me-"

Immediately, both Major and Amedee perked in interest.

"-but I had no idea that anything like this would happen. I love him, but god he can really be exhausting."

The two instantly deflated, looking down to glare discreetly at the ground beneath their feet. As their gazes traveled upward, the teens accidentally looked at each other and silently crossed their arms. Both moved their stare to gaze directly at Mal. She stilled.

The girl in question merely raised an eyebrow at their expressions and apologetically continued, "I truly am sorry for all of the trouble this seems like for you. It sucks. I know it does. I know exactly how you are feeling right now, but I am sure that you will come to enjoy it here. The rooms are really nice and clean, and the halls are usually very quiet. There are no talking mice or dancing broomsticks in the hallways. Almost everyone that you come into contact with here is completely hospitable."

Suddenly, Demetriades raised her hand again and quipped, "Yeah. Like I said before. I _really_ want to meet these people."

The four other villains, including Mal, all turned to give the goddess a dubious stare. The group blinked, before the majority of the villains gave Demetriades a villainous smirk. Standing there, Mal failed to notice the quick exchange. She looked questioningly at Demetriades. From her place at the back of the group, Sherah just stared in minor doubt, while her brows furrowed unsurely.

The goddess shrugged nonchalantly and replied, "What? I like the bad ones. What can I say?"

The group stared, until Mal ultimately cleared out her throat and spoke over to the two boys, "Well you two are certainly welcome to head on up into your rooms now if you wish. Your bags from the Isle _should_ have been brought in there by now, as we had them transported for you when you first arrived from the car, via the wonders of a magic carpet. You know, they are surprisingly fast, believe it or not."

Mal smiled brightly at the thought and said, "Actually, Ben and I even took a ride on one once. It was magical."

As the girl spoke, Jenny made an obvious gagging gesture. She let out a loud, attention grabbing gag in Mal's expense, and the target of her joking's eyes widened. The rest of the crowd just stared on with an amused gleam in their eyes, and even Sherah had to give a tad chuckle. They could all agree that it really was quite gross having to listen to the freshly turned _good_ girl talk about the love and goodness that she had discovered from her short courtship with Ben. He was such a strapping young fellow. It set the villains on edge, and they vowed to never let anything betray their love for villainy, even Sherah. She was determined to set people upon the path of redemption, no matter what.

"Stop that," Demetriades commanded, although the teen had absolutely no room to talk. The goddess had been making fun of the annoyingly happy and violet haired girl silently from behind her back her entire there, "That's wrong. How about I go and actually choke you, huh?"

"Oh, aren't you the pot calling the kettle black," Jenny sarcastically replied. Unlike Demetriades, the dark pirate did not care if she let her mocking be known to everyone. Seriously, the raven haired girl even _wanted_ Mal to know that she openly hated her. She sought justice. The pirate blamed her for her shortcomings, and she wanted the infuriating witch to know _just_ what she thought of her; that she had absolutely no reason to be happy here.

Jenny raised her fists in a threatening stance, "You want to go, pinky? I'll have you know, I'm known as Jenny Left Hook back home."

"Funny," Demetriades breathed, "Because I have lived for literal _centuries_ beneath the Isle, and I have never heard of you until today... How queer, don't you think? I wonder why that is."

"Oh, it is on!" Jenny cried.

Demetriades visibly sneered, "Actually, to tell the truth, it is only the first day, and I am already getting sick of you and that utterly detestable face of yours. Maybe it's time I helped you by getting rid you of it, hmm?"

The goddess lit a dangerously hot pink flame within her palm and bent down into a threatening stance. She arched her finger. Jenny physically paled. The overly confident pirate turned fearful and quickly shut her lips. She really needed to learn how to keep her mouth shut!

Gasping, Mal took a hurried step forward and allowed her eyes to turn a slightly darker shade of green.

"Now, now girls," the thin ex-villain called in a rushed tone. She threw both hands up in an attempt to soothe the feuding females, "Let's not get carried away here. How about the three of us just head on over to the girl's dorm where you can calmly talk about this-"

Demetriades scowled and barked, "No, we will settle this now!"

The goddess threw the ball of sparkling fire towards Jenny, and the raven haired girl immediately yelped in fear. Ducking precariously, the teen gasped and fell onto the floor and baulked at the fire as it flew over her head. Demetriades could only stare. The small troop of students watched on with wide eyes and baited breath, as the ball of fire went flying towards the front doors of the male's dormitory. The group gasped, as a handsome brunette stepped unknowingly into the giant hall, still casually holding the door open behind him. He turned his head and looked up, instantly gaping at the ball of flame suddenly heading straight towards him. He stilled. The pink fire ran hotly by his side, only missing him by a few centimeters, and slammed directly into the wall behind him. His deep green eyes stared as if he had seen his entire life flash before his very eyes. After a very long moment of drawn-out gaping, the male slowly scrunched up his nose and carefully sniffed at the air around him in distaste. A hollow frown appeared on his face.

"Smoke," he eventually muttered through his shock and mutely took a step backwards out of the doorway. He paused visibly, before resoundingly turning and closing the door flatly behind him, "Smoke."

Mal instantly cringed. At his retreating form, she hurriedly cried, "Sorry Flynn! Oh god. You nearly _killed_ him!"

"But I didn't," Demetriades happily countered, "And if you were paying attention, then you would know without a doubt that I did _not_ , in fact, kill him."

To her left, Jenny took in a set of extremely loud and comical breaths, continuing to breath in long, terrified gasps. In and out, in and out, the girl hyperventilated, as she thought of the fire which had been aimed at her head. She physically whitened, and her eyes turned to stare fearfully at the now moderately quiet goddess.

"That doesn't matter!" Mal continued to panic, "But what if you _had_? What if you hurt someone else? Oh god, oh god."

Demetriades laughed, "That is _gods_ to you, girl. There is definitely more than one god. I should know."

"Excuse me?" Sherah suddenly spoke up from out of the blue, "But there is only one true god. He is the god of the earth, the world within an entire universe which only took him seven days to create."

The goddess stared, but barked a scornful laugh in her face. She smiled knowingly at the tiny human and said, "You know, I really hate to burst your bubble girl. No, wait. Actually I don't, but your precious 'god' is really just a fat lard named Zeus who loves to screw everything and everyone _but_ Hera. Poor woman. It's quite sad, really."

"You take that back," Sherah seriously cautioned, as her dark grey eyes filled with a scalding passion. The death grip that she held around her bible tightened, and a few burning tears entered her gaze.

Demetriades arrogantly rolled her eyes, "Or what short stuff? You wanna hit me with your book or something?"

Mal let out an exhausted sigh and gave both Amedee and Major an agitated look. The two guys shook their heads in a negative fashion and jointly shrugged their shoulders at her question. No, they had no idea how in the hell to stop this, and frankly, they did not feel like jumping in on the action. The pair was perfectly content with just standing mutely on the sidelines and watching the fight with mild glint in their eyes.

As Mal turned away from them, the darker male let his eyes flash a deep purple. He subtly flicked his wrist, and smirked as a dark shadow noiselessly chuckled and rushed to pull gaily on Demetriades' shadow. It dutifully drug her down onto the ground, and she bellowed out a violent scream, her eyes turning a stark red.

"Who did that?" she echoed into the large hall with her head burning at a scalding temperature, "Who dares to pull me down?"

Mal tiredly threw an exhausted hand onto her face, letting out a short whine. She groaned audibly and stared at the fuming goddess who laid on the floor, steaming in her spot. The pretty blond turned a fuming shade of pink.

"I am a _princess_ of the Underworld," the goddess arrogantly cried out, "And I will _not_ be treated this way! You hear me? I will not!"

* * *

From within the depths of his lair beneath the Isle of the Lost, Hades grinned mercilessly down at his daughter's dramatics, as he stared humorously through the glossy sheen of the Present Fate's eyeball. Well, he was thoroughly entertained. The god lowered it down from his face and picked off a random stray hair that had somehow gotten stuck on it and carefully handed it over to the grotesque looking woman. She huffed indelicately. The fate beside her let out a girlish giggle and gave a crooning aw. The old bat with snakes in her hair had always had a stupid liking for the younger god.

Gazing over at the sister, Present, the ruler of the Underworld charmingly said, "Again, thank you for showing me that. You're beautiful. I love ya."

He gave her a charismatic smile, as his eyes trained over to the slightly shorter sister beside her. He swiftly crooned, "And aren't _you_ looking truly radiant today Future. As always, a Fate worse than death."

The middle sister allowed him to prod delicately at her snakes, and two sisters beside her frowned. The shortest of the three Fates suddenly grabbed the eye from Present's hand. Future let out a hopeful yet disheartening moan. Past immediately groaned. There was no stopping their middle sister.

"Alright, alright," her smoky voice said, "Here you go."

Haughtily, she tossed the orb over to Future, and the middle-sized Fate smiled with glee. She eagerly threw it up into the air, dutifully wanting to share what she could about the future with Hades. From their spot, all three of the Fates gazed at the ball through their blank eye holes. The god of the Underworld smirked, consciously knowing that he had the little Fate fully wrapped around his bluish finger.

The group of four spirits all watched, as the orb erupted into a giant ball of light. A blue image, edged in white, appeared in the air above it.

Hades felt his eyes narrow dangerously at what he saw.

"By _this_ same day in four months, exactly," the Future Fate carefully versed, "a life-changing truth will be stated matter of factly, and upon the very skin of your daughter's subtle left hand shall sit the heavy, hard weight of a warm promise band that once forged in the strongest of metals and golds, will fit her within the most comfortable of molds, as the boy of her affections shall leave many traces, yet the strength of their love will seem to grow from odd places."

Staring up into the image before him, Hades let out a violent yell. Absolutely, _no one_ would take his daughter away from him!

"What?" he furiously screamed.

Past eerily grinned up at him. The shortest and most brutal of the three sisters happily grumbled, "Congratulations, Hades. You've got a son-in-law."

* * *

Ace let out an exhausted breath of air, as he finally arrived in the middle of the hedge maze. He was used to such obsticles, so he knew that he would have no trouble finding his way out. The boy fell onto his knees in complete exhaustion and breathed heavily into the surrounding silence. He sighed tiredly. The teen took a slight comfort in the fact that he was totally alone at the moment. Finally, he was actually beside himself.

Or at least, he had thought he was alone.

A female voice broke through the underbrush.

"Who. Are. You?" the stranger iterated.

Ace physically jumped and noticeably whitened at the implications of her presence. He could not fathom _why_ someone would have followed him out there, but the very idea of the notion only seemed to creep him out. The teen swallowed and sat himself delicately onto the ground, thoughtfully throwing his arms around himself. He stared suspiciously at his surroundings.

The teen quickly parroted her words, speaking on edge into the distance, "Excellent question. _Who. Are. You?_ "

A lengthy moment of stillness followed his question, until a gentle chuckle was eventually heard. He gawked, as the form of a thin, blond haired female easily slunk out from the depths of a nearby shrubbery. The stranger grinned openly.

"Touché," the apparent owner of the voice jilted, "Perhaps there is promise for you, yet."

At her sudden out of nowhere appearance, Ace could only stare in wide-eyed shock.

He managed to mutter, "H-How did you-"

"Magic," the pretty girl casually spoke, "And just a little bit of madness. You could almost say that they seem to work like a… charm."

The dark haired boy could only stare up at the girl, until he finally narrowed his eyes. Eventually, he managed to reply through his indigence.

"Okay, I am not sure," he slowly began, "but was that a _very_ terrible pun that you said just now?"

The stranger merely blinked but completely ignored his question.

"You seem sad," she pointed out, staring almost too curiously down at him. There was a strange kind of familiarity in her eyes, and Ace's own orbs widened, as he noticed a bit of the caring nature that was hidden deep within her orbs. How odd for her to even care, he thought idly to himself. He was definitely not used to people caring about how he felt.

Ace said nothing, and the two watched each other's eyes, soundlessly staring into one another's gaze. The boy jumped when her voice suddenly broke through the thickening silence.

"Why is a raven like a writing desk?" came her confusing, abrupt inquiry.

Puzzled, Ace looked at her with a new curiosity in his eyes.

"W-What?" he managed to choke.

The unknown girl simply shook her head at him and bent down onto her knees. She gave him a deep, questioning stare and airily repeated her question.

"I asked, _why is a raven like a writing desk?_ Honestly, it is not _that_ hard of a question to remember."

Ace blinked and could only stare at her dumbly. She let out an irritated sigh.

"Come on, Tweedle Dum. It is merely a question. A question with just eight words. A question with just ten syllables. Words, words, words made of numbers, numbers, numbers. Just a question."

When the boy in front of her said nothing, the girl easily moved to sit beside him. She reached over and gently took a hold of his hand, turning it so that the palm was facing upward. The girl paid no heed to Ace's surprised blush. Her eyes narrowed, and she carefully studied his hand, moving one of her small fingers to gently run it across his skin, softly tracing the lines of his palm. She smiled cheekily.

"Did you know that people can tell your future by reading your palm?" she asked, smirked through the entire thought, "Believe it or not, I can read your lifeline. Would you like me to tell you what your future holds?"

Flushing at the feel of her gentle touches, Ace swallowed hollowly. A deep weight settled in his throat, and he gave a dumbfounded nod.

"S-Sure," he eventually managed to stutter, "W-What d-does it say?"

The beautiful blond beside him merely shrugged, but narrowed her eyes at his hand. She carefully looked over the now slightly sweaty palm. A firm smile made its' way across her porcelain-like cheeks. Ace could only stare. She really was breathtaking, just like an imported china doll that was made of the finest porcelain and fabrics. He blushed further when her fingers wrapped tightly around his hand.

The male took in a sharp breath, and the blond looked up at him, gazing deeply into the eyes.

"I see happiness," the girl stated clearly into his orbs. Ace stilled, utterly wide-eyed.

Grinning, she said, "I also... see lots and lots of flowers... and sunshine… Queerly enough, I also see crumpets. Oh, and butterflies fluttering in the breeze! I see you having a friend."

Ace blinked at that. Him having a friend? The dark eyed male stared straight at her, his brows slowly narrowing in suspicion. Who was this girl, and _why_ was she saying such weird things? The boy's hand faltered in her tight grasp.

"I see you this afternoon," she continued, somberly closing her eyes as she continued to feel at his skin, "Yes, yes. You are sitting at a tea party. My tea party."

The girl immediately opened her eyes, and a bright, knowing gleam entered them. She confidently pat at his hand a few times, before unexpectedly abandoning his hand and jumping up into a standing position. A confident smirk shown within her eyes.

"Meet me in the gardens at three," she briskly commanded, authoritatively pointing down at him.

Ace blinked in shock, "What-"

"No what, ifs, ands, or buts. Just action!"

Ace stared confusedly and cried, "Wait, _what_ are you even talking about?"

"What my family specializes in, of course!" she jovially replied, already turning to leave, "Meet me at the gardens! Three o'clock this afternoon!"

"Wait," he yelled through his shock, "W-What is your name?"

The blond stranger merely glanced over her shoulder and winked mysteriously, as she silently reached into the depths of the light coat that hung over her shoulders. She drug out her arm and miraculously pulled out a tall top hat that was covered in a mass of blue ribbons and glitter. Her grip tightened around the hat's rim, and she mutely placed the decorated top hat upon her head; a tall pin sticking precariously out of one side. The girl grinned widely, as a terribly mad gleam entered her gaze. Ace's dark orbs widened further. He openly gaped at the odd female.

"Lidia Ladell Hatter, of course," her chipper voice quipped, "Now goodbye sir, Ace of Hearts. I guess I will be seeing you anywhere."

"Wait, what-"

With that said, Ace stared in shock as the daughter of the Mad Hatter and the impossible girl, Alice, suddenly popped out of nowhere. She left him in a blunt, mind-boggling silence. He gawked noiselessly at the suddenly utterly vacant space of air before him for a long minute, until the boy eventually shook his head. His lips settled into a firm, but careful line. So _this_ was the offspring of his mother's enemy…

"What is going on with me?" Ace sighed softly at his predicament, and softly crossed his arms in front of his chest.

The teen threw his head down and let out a lengthy moan into his embrace. _Wooow_ , this royally sucked.

He stared thoughtlessly into the distance and muttered, "I am going absolutely mad."

Ace puffed out his cheeks with an indelicate flush still sitting across his mounds. He sighed hotly. The lad hated how his heart had begun to thump wildly in his chest, as her touch suddenly registered throughout his censors. It had been _breathtaking_.

Ace stilled. The teen knew that his mother would hate him for his next thought.

It was absolutely ridiculous… but who would have ever thought that the girl born of both lucidity and insanity would have been _this_ cute?

"Totally bonkers," the boy muttered.

Ace laid his back down onto the ground below him and raised a tired hand over his eyes. He shaded them carelessly from the sun, but gazed upward into the warm, blue sky. Flushing, the raven haired boy stared embarrassedly up into the great unknown and let out a content sigh. The sun reminded him of her. He had only just met the girl, and he was already fantasizing about her.

To think, the daughter of Alice Liddell and the son of the Queen of Hearts _actually_ meeting one another in this goody two-shoes high school. What a pair. What a joke.

At the thought, Ace chuckled mirthlessly. The boy turned dismally onto his side and stared blankly at the grass that irrevocably blocked his gaze. He gazed at the lone, yellow flower, which danced easily along with the breeze amongst the tips of short greenery. He sighed pitifully.

What a joke, the young teen mused, snickering sadly to himself. All that mercury and genetics must have gotten to her head.

Still, Ace knew that, if anything was true, he was the joke. The beautiful Hatter was merely the jester.

And what a funny joke he was, indeed.


End file.
